Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been acquired by Viacom for $60 million and they’ll be airing a brand new CG-animated Turtles show on Nickelodeon, slated to premiere in 2012 – and of course, they will also acquire all merchandising rights. They also have a new theatrical movie in the works by Viacom’s sister company Paramount, although it is not clear if this will also be a CG venture, a live action film like the originals, or a blend of the two, nor is it clear if it will be directly related to the developing television show.

I really liked the animation style of the Imagi Studio CG flick that had just the right blend of the hokey Cowabunga style Turtles and a dash of the dark gritty Turtles the franchise is based on. Granted there was more Cowabunga than Eastman and Laird’s black and white, but it was still a step in the right direction.

That they proposed animated series will be on Nickelodeon makes me think the surfer dude style turtles will be back and there will be little maturity to it, however if the planned feature film keeps the same feel as the recent animated feature, it could appeal to the half of the audience that the Nickelodeon one loses.

I’m going to think that after a year or two on the good ol’ Nick, that it will be a CG animated movie that springeth from the good ol’ Nick….

Like any animated spinoff movie they put out be it Rugrats, Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron etc. That’s not a slam on them by any means. Just an observation. The Turtles will be back in some form for sure, dude, and like you, I suspect that form will be the “family friendly” version.